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CASA needs unused cell phones
By JORGE SANCHEZ INVERNESS -- If you have an old cellular telephone that's not in use, the phone can be donated to help victims of domestic violence. Both CASA, a Citrus County organization that provides services to victims of abuse, and the Inverness district office of U.S. Rep. Karen Thurman will accept unused cellular phones, which are then reactivated for emergency use. CASA has had this program for several years, said Diana McIntosh, executive director. "We try to keep a good supply of the phones here, and keep several of them charged up, so when someone comes in and requests one, we'll be ready," she said. Local cellular phone companies also regularly donate old phones, she said. The phones are given out to domestic abuse victims who can use them only to make an emergency 911 call, she said. No other phone number will work. "They are especially useful for people who are being stalked. They can use the phone when they're out of the house," she said. CASA will accept cellular phones at its Inverness office at 112 N Pine Ave. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday. Call 344-8111. Thurman's Inverness office is at 2225 State Road 44 W in the complex behind Cinnamon Sticks Restaurant. The office will donate the phones to the Donate A Phone national campaign. Call 344-3044. "For victims of abuse, a wireless phone can be the start of a better life, both physically and psychologically because they know help is a phone call away if they need it," Thurman said Thursday in a news release. Founded in 1999 by the Wireless Foundation, Motorola and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Donate A Phone is an extension of the Call to Protect program, which uses education and charitable donations to quell domestic violence. So far, more than 700,000 phones have been collected nationwide through the program.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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Citrus Times |
